Chapter Text
Tony hadn’t known he was pregnant when he got on the space ship after Strange. Had he known then he probably would have thought better of chasing after the cocky asshole to save him.
But it wasn’t until after the snap, after he’d come back to earth and given Rogers a mouthful and passed out with exhaustion, malnutrition, and dehydration that he’d found out. Or rather, while Rogers and co had been off on a fools errand trying to track down Thanos and reverse what he’d done that Tony found out he was expecting.
He’d awoken nauseous and dizzy, a feeling that had been plaguing him for days and he’d finally remembered that he hadn’t bled since his last heat.
He’d unhooked himself from the drip and gone to the lab, having Friday run an HC test on him, which had revealed that he was pregnant.
Pregnant by his husband. Bruce Wayne. Who was now gone, turned to ash like half the universe.
Damian was the only one left. Bruce’s sulky adolescent son, who’d resolutely made himself not cry a tear even though they had shone brightly in his eyes. Poor boy. He’d already lost his Mother. Now he’d lost his Father and Brothers too. Dick, Jason, and Tim. Even Alfred, all turned to ash, just like Peter.
I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go.
Those words would haunt Tony to the grave, as would the sight of his beloved protégé turning to ash in his hands.
“What do we do now?” Damian asked, as Tony stared at the positive test confirming that he was pregnant.
How had the baby survived? He’d been stabbed in the stomach!
The blade must have been too high to hit his womb, though the shock, the battering he’d taken, the infection he’d fought, all should have caused a miscarriage.
This baby was a miracle, a little fighter, a reason for her to survive.
“We live.” Tony said putting an arm about Damian’s shoulders. The boy stiffened and then relaxed, putting his arms around Tony and lay his hands over the Omega’s still flat belly,
“I’ve got to take care you now.” He said stoutly, “Father would have wanted that.”
Tony smiled for the first time since he’d seen Peter die. “We’ll take care of each other sweetheart, you, me, and the baby.”
******
While Damian had protested at first, Tony had insisted they leave the Cities and head for the country.
The cities weren’t safe. Looting was rampant, the remaining military and police were struggling to maintain order, disease had spiked. Many deaths had occurred as the result of the snap, people turning to ash while driving, operating equipment, operating on people, sailing ships, flying planes. The resulting destruction had led to many deaths and with a lot of the bodies not claimed because people were simply to busy trying to care for the living, they had been left to rot, making the air foul and the water unsafe to drink.
The situation would improve as the shock passed and resignation set in. But Tony couldn’t afford to wait, he needed somewhere safe to live throughout his pregnancy and to raise Damian and his baby.
So, he and Damian headed up state, to Hudson Valley, where he purchased land and built a cabin house with Damian’s help.
Living right beside the river gave them access to fresh water and fish. Between them they set a net to catch trout, and traps for rabbits. Damian was an excellent shot and Pidgeon pie was a regular on the menu. They also set a small vegetable garden and helped themselves to a couple of chickens and a milk cow from a nearby farm, whose owners had turned to ash. The rest of the live stock they turned loose, knowing that the animals would fend for themselves well enough and were not able to manage more than the one cow and a couple of hens, from which they got milk, learning to churn their own butter and make cheese, and a regular supply of eggs.
With nothing else to occupy their time, they were able get the cabin built and furnished by the time Tony was eight months along and too big for manual labour anymore.
The furnishings were partly hand crafted by themselves, and partly taken from Wayne Manor and Stark Tower. Including an antique cradle that had been Bruce’s when he’d been a pup.
The nursery was what they put the most work on getting ready, wanting the baby to be well settled when he or she made their appearance.
The final thing Tony did before he had to give up all physical work, was the electric. Setting up Friday in the house and connecting them to the WIFI so they had TV and Internet.
While he had no plans to go into a hospital, Tony was not foolish enough to attempt a home birth without medical care in case something went wrong, so he and Damian tracked down a midwife and had her come and stay with them for the final month of his pregnancy.
The only other person they saw beside the late middle aged midwife, who bustled about the place, clucking her tongue and tutting over everything. Was Rhodey, who had finally tracked them down.
“My God, Tony!” Rhodey cried upon seeing his heavily pregnant friend, “Why didn’t you tell me for God sakes?”
“Why should he tell you anything?” Damian snapped, putting himself between Tony and Rhodey, “You didn’t support him getting back with my Father. You didn’t even come to the wedding!”
“Damian.” Tony murmured, while Rhodey had the grace to flush. In truth he had not supported Tony and Bruce getting back together following the Civil War.
He couldn’t get past the tumultuous relationship they’d had through out the nineties. It had put a severe strain on his relationship with Tony, his absence from the wedding not helping with that at all.
“I’m sorry.” Rhodey said, looking Tony over, “I’m sorry I didn’t swallow my pride and support you, I’m sorry I wasn’t with you when you needed me, shit Tones! You look ready to pop!”
Indignant laughter bubbled up out of Tony, “That’s how you apologize is it?” he cried, “By insulting a very pregnant person? Well let me tell you, that this Ass is still the finest in all of the world!”
That broke the ice and Rhodey was accepted into the home, with even Damian thawing towards him to the point that he wasn’t sharpening his knives whenever Rhodey was around.
Rhodey told Tony what had happened since Thanos, how Natasha was running things, with Okoye in Wakanda, corresponding with Captain Marvel, Rocket, and Nebula. Steve was helping her, and they were trying to find Clint, who’d con rogue since he’d lost his whole family. Banner was in the wind as usual, and Thor had gone to the remaining Asgardians settlement.
Pepper and Lucious Fox had survived the snap and were keeping SI and WE running as best they could in the much changed world.
“It seems you and Damian have done the best out of all of us. You’ve made a good home here, a good life.”
“Needs must.” Tony said, rubbing his huge belly, “Damian needs stability, as much as he’d claim otherwise, and I needed somewhere safe for the baby.”
“A baby. You to have a baby.” Rhodey said, shaking his head, “If I didn’t see it with my own eyes I might not have believed it.”
“Wanna feel a kick?” Rhodey looked startled, then lay his palm over the mound of Tony’s middle, his eyes widening when he felt the firm thumps beneath his hand,
“Damn, he’s a strong one.”
“Or she.” Tony said, “Will you come and meet him or her when they’re born?”
“Of course I will.” Rhodey said, “That’s my honorary niece or nephew you’re talking about, of course I’m going to meet them.”
*****
It was only two weeks after Rhodey’s departure back to New York that the labour started.
The Midwife set to work right away, getting the spare linen and towels on the bed, and having Damian bring Tony ice chips and keep clean water warmed and ready for the birth.
All the way through the labour Tony couldn’t help but to weep for the fact that Bruce wasn’t with him, wasn’t there to hold his hand or rub his back. Wouldn’t be there to hold his baby boy or girl when they came into the world.
Instead he could only grip the bed sheets and grit his teeth, forcing himself to be strong and not to cry out too much so he wouldn’t alarm Damian. As stoic as the boy was, he was alarmed by the labour, the sight of the blood and the moans of pain Tony did give into, he didn’t need to be worried anymore than that.
For long hours Tony sweated, panted, and strained through the labour, finally pushing his baby girl into the world as dawn broke on the following morning.
“A fine alpha girl.” The Midwife declared, wrapping her in a towel and handing her to Tony, “A good weight and size, she’ll be strong and healthy.”
“She’s a fighter.” Tony said, shedding tears as he stared at the prefect face of his new daughter, “Just like her Daddy.”
Damian wasn’t allowed into the bedroom until after the placenta had been delivered and both Tony and the baby were cleaned up.
“Now don’t stay for long, both Mamma and Baby need their rest.” The midwife instructed, as Damian came in, timidly making his way up to the bed his gaze fixed on his new baby sister.
“She’s so small.” He said,
“Believe me she didn’t feel it a little while ago.” Tony chuckled, “Would you like to hold her?” He asked, holding out the baby for Damian to take. The boy’s eyes widened,
“I…,” He didn’t get any further before the baby was being lain in his arms and he found himself staring down at his new sister. “What’s her name?” He asked Tony,
“Morgan.” Tony replied, “For an eccentric Uncle of Pepper’s. Morgan Rose.”
“Hey Morgan, I’m your brother Damian. I guess I’m your only brother now, but you did have a couple of others and I’ll tell you about them, and about Father, I’ll tell you all about them as you grow up.” Morgan cooed and blinked at him making Damian beam in delight, “I think she likes me.” he exclaimed, turning to Tony, who he was alarmed to find was crying.
“What’s wrong, did I upset you?”
“No,” Tony said, wiping his eyes, “You didn’t, you couldn’t.” He beckoned for Damian to join him on the bed, taking Morgan back into his arms, “We’ll tell her all about Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim, Alfred, and Peter. She can learn about them through us and our memories of them.”
*****
Morgan was an easy baby, quickly going through the night and feeding well. She proved to be a delightful if precocious child, keeping Tony and Damian on their toes as she learned to crawl and then to walk, picking up speed alarmingly swiftly until it seemed they were always running around after her.
They lived quietly and contentedly over the next four and a quarter years, until one bright spring afternoon, the Avengers turned up on their doorstep with a shame faced Rhodey in tow, along with Scott Lang who’d apparently been in the Quantum realm for the past five years and had an idea to travel through time and get hold of the infinity stones to bring everyone back.
Tony scoffed at the notion, stating the reasons it wasn’t possible.
“I might be if you’d get over yourself and help us, Stark.” Natasha sighed,
“Fuck you, Romanoff, I owe you and yours shit.” Tony threw back at her, “I warned everyone that it wasn’t over after New York but did anyone listen to me? did they fuck. You don’t like how this shit has played out, tough, this is a bed of your own making, go and piss in it, I am done caring.”
“Tony don’t be like this.” Steve said, going to take Tony’s arm, but found himself face to face with a now Twenty year old Damian Wayne who was fully grown, the image of his Father and more than ready to defend Tony.
“Back off Captain shit for brains, or I’ll finish the job that he started on your head in Siberia.”
“Mamma!” Morgan complained, upset by the raised voices and climbed into Tony’s lap,
“It’s alright honey, they were just leaving.” Tony said, kissing her cheek, “Damian, can you take her inside and get started on lunch?”
“You sure?” Damian asked, glowering at Steve,
“Go on.” Tony urged, “I’ll be in, in just a sec.” Narrowing his eyes in warning at Steve, Damian took Morgan by the hand and took her into the cabin.
“You never told us your were pregnant, or that you had a daughter.” Steve said, accusingly, with a look to Rhodey, who shrugged,
“Why would I tell you anything?” Tony said, “We’re not friends Rogers, we’re not anything and I have nothing more to say on the subject.” He rose from his seat on the deck, “Now, if you can stop talking shop you can stay for lunch, and I advise you not to rile Damian up, he’s always looking for a reason to use his katana blades!”
Of course he couldn’t just leave it alone. Once the idea was in his head Tony had to follow it through, and so he found himself leaving Morgan in Damian’s care and embarking on a risky and probably suicidal trip back through time to get the infinity stones to reverse the snap.